| Panetta urges Iraq to keep Daqduq behind bars |
WASHINGTON Iraq has given the United States assurances it will not release a suspected Hezbollah operative accused of killing American troops, Defence Secretary Leon Panetta said, saying he expected Baghdad to honour its commitment.
The fate of Ali Mussa Daqduq has been vexing US officials since last December, when the United States was forced to hand him over to Baghdad after failing to secure a custody deal before the US military withdrawal from the country.
But an Iraqi court last month cleared him of the charges for allegedly orchestrating a 2007 kidnapping that resulted in the killing of five US military personnel. That ruling raised concerns he might go free, even before any appeals process is completed.
“We’ve gotten a commitment from them that they would keep him incarcerated and that they would keep him in custody,” Panetta said in an interview on Thursday.
Panetta did not explain under what legal mechanism Daqduq would remain incarcerated and did not elaborate. He also declined to comment on a US extradition bid for Daqduq, referring the question to the justice department.
Daqduq was captured in March 2007 and initially said he was a deaf mute.
Reuters
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